A Service Design Approach to Increase Retention of New Members
A worldwide study group with 1,600+ members with 50+ study sessions.
“I feel like people wouldn’t care even if I were absent.”
That is one of the direct quotes from a user interview I conducted. I cherish moments like this—when users open up and show their vulnerability after talking for a while. It’s a sign of trust. Moments like these fuel my motivation to find solutions that truly work for them..
Study Club++ was founded in January 2024 by two engineers who wanted to encourage people to study together. In just 14 months, the community grew rapidly and organically to over 1,600 members. However, as time went on, stakeholders began expressing concerns about declining retention.
HOW DID IT START?
THIS PROJECT DEMONSTRATES:
Conducting in-depth pilot studies and user research, followed by thoughtful data analysis
Leading organized meetings and implementing a micro-communication system to improve team coordination
Showing resilience and a strong sense of responsibility to keep momentum going—even when engagement declines over time
MY ROLE:
My role was to take leadership and maintain clear communication about our design process and decisions with both the team and stakeholders. My key takeaways from this workshop were:
Keep asking “why” about users’ actions until you understand the deeper emotions driving their decisions.
Never ignore your curiosity—speak up, articulate your thoughts, and keep discussing until you reach a meaningful outcome.
TEAM:
Cross-functional team
Admitting mistakes in data coding and persuading the team to start over, prioritizing accuracy over pride.
Keeping communication open and encouraging stakeholders during periods of low engagement—especially in a remote setting.
Going the extra mile, even when no one was watching.
CHALLENGES I EMBRACED:
IMPACT
+ 110%
Increase of voice activity
USER OBSERVATION
Recruiters and managers expressed their frustration with spending too much time on repetitive work
In order to find out what causes overnight work, I asked both recruiters and managers to meet at the office. Here, I chose to observe them in person throughout the day to understand their workflow and pain-points.
Because we didn’t spend too much time on user research, this time was crucial for me to understand their pain-points. Here are the main findings:
1. Confusing to Navigate:
Users had to switch between 7 different software tools to manage translator information and workflow.
This made it time-consuming to find specific details. One manager even said, “I know, there are lots of tabs, haha.”
2. Lots of Copy and Paste:
Users would copy and paste freelancer information from emails or work requests into the designated software tools.
Although I didn’t hear direct complaints, I recognized this as a significant area for improvement to address the core issue of time-consuming work.
3. High Costs, Low Value:
I learned that each team member was paying high software fees for a tool that was inconvenient to use.
The only reason they stuck with it was because it was the only platform offering translation pricing.
SOLUTIONS
How did we solve those problems?
To solve problems above, I collaborated with product managers and engineers to create an all-in-one streamlined experience, focusing in three areas:
1. One cycle work flow in one place 🔄
3. Data visualization dashboard 📊
2. Automated information transfer ➡️
CREATING WORKFLOW
Mapping the workflow for a clear understanding of the complex work process at a glance
Because there were five different roles involved in each project workflow, with specific responsibilities, it was hard to keep the whole picture in my head.
As a designer, I understand complexity better when I can personalize each character. So, I assigned a character to each role, which helped simplify the process as I mapped out the entire project cycle. This approach made it much easier to grasp the workflow in my mind!
This process helped me better understand how the system operated and how I could naturally structure each workflow. I could now see the bigger picture of how each role connected to and influenced the next step, including:
Onboarding Process
Task Management Process
Managing work-flow in one platform from creating quotes to assign tasks to freelancers
1. One cycle work flow in one place 🔄
Approach
We designed a platform that streamlines the one-cycle management process. Our main focus was on:
Improving usability so new managers can easily navigate the system without the need for extensive training across multiple tools.
Results
We designed a horizontal menu bar to optimize task management and maximize space for information, offering clear, step-by-step guidance. To enhance project organization, we added step indicators throughout the input flow. Additionally, strategically placed CTAs next to each project to enable managers to take immediate action with just one click.
Automated onboarding that collects all the translators’ info in one place
2. Automated information transfer ➡️
Problem
During user interviews, the TAD team highlighted the inefficiencies of manually inputting information received from freelancers via email into separate software systems. We also discovered that many freelancers were lost before being added to the freelancing pool because we failed to contact them early, due to not having the language role they applied for readily available.
Approach
The TAD team’s goal was not only to find qualified translators but also to build a freelancing pool for future needs. Our objectives were:
Reduce time by minimizing steps.
Retain freelancers by preventing them from leaving the process.
Results
We redesigned the sign-up flow by reordering the information-gathering steps. Delays between TAD and freelancers often led to disengagement, causing drop-offs due to a lack of immediate action. To address this, we enabled translators to enter their personal and language information upfront, automatically generating certification tests. This allowed them to take the tests immediately and remain in the onboarding pool without manual intervention.
3. Data visualization dashboard 📊
Dashboard that helps manager set prioritizes their tasks
Problem
As we explored potential features to add, the following pain points were mentioned:
Localization Managers: It’s difficult to track deadlines and contact translators in a timely manner.
TAD Team: There is no daily summary showing how many people signed up, onboarded, and failed.
Accounting Team: Managing invoices for both clients and freelancers on a daily and monthly basis is a time-consuming and inefficient manual process.
Approach
In order to solve the problems all at once, we designed a real-time dashboard customized to different roles. The challenge was determining the specific data each role needed and how to prioritize it. Our goal for the dashboard was to provide an overview of the current situation, enabling users to prioritize important tasks quickly.
Results
This page was one of the most exciting UI features to introduce to the team, as it was designed to enhance the user experience. Another challenge was selecting the most effective graph type to visualize the data. To maximize options, I created different graph prototypes before finalizing the decision.
CHALLENGES I FACED DURING THE PROJECT AND SOLUTIONS
Balancing user needs and engineering resources
One of the challenges during this project was not having enough time for in-depth user research or testing. In order to still bring user insight to the decision, I decided to focus on quick user testing:
Prototype Testing (using Maze)
Alpha Testing (engineers)
Rapid Prototype Testing to craft the user request experience
With limited time for in-depth user research, I quickly validated design decisions by creating usability tests using Figma and Maze. This also helped me to prioritize the issues that needed addressing. Especially when there were different opinions between product managers, I went ahead and asked questions to get fast feedback from real users.
Example:
Managers either assign a task directly or send a request to a few freelancers to check their availability.
Pain Point: Managers previously selected freelancers from Excel and emailed them one by one—an inefficient process.
Solution: I designed a task flow that recommends freelancers based on their profile data, allowing managers to assign or request tasks in one place.
Test Scenarios:
Task 1: Assign a movie translation task from A Company to Kathryn Murphy.
Task 2: Send a request to Kathryn and Wade.
Setting priorities and resource balance with engineers
While users preferred a certain experience, prioritizing development needs was essential. I stayed closely connected with engineers to balance available resources and user experience. Using Slack "Huddle," I facilitated quick decision-making, ensuring engineers understood why a feature was needed and how to proceed with development.
Example: Managers select a standard price to charge using the CAT Tool.
Alpha Test Results: Option 5 and Option 3
Problem: Discussion revealed that the card format with a side layer would require more time to build in a tight timeline.
Decision: Considering development constraints, I chose to go with Option 3 to balance usability with feasibility.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Challenges with using a pre-made UI library and the shift to a custom Design System (900 components)
At the start of this project, I made the mistake of agreeing to purchase the UI library. During brainstorming, it seemed like a good idea, as it would allow me to focus on user experience by using pre-made design elements. However, as the feature structure evolved, it became clear that the UI elements didn’t fit our product, especially regarding input fields.
To ensure a shared understanding of the new elements, I created an internal design guideline. However, it wasn’t clear to engineers which UI elements should be used in specific situations.
Given the issues with the UI library I initially purchased, I realized it was crucial to build a design system that would provide clarity and consistency, especially for new engineers joining the project. To address this challenge, I focused on:
Making it easy to understand and follow ➡️ Conducted a competitive audit.
Motivating engineers to adapt mid-process ➡️ Actively gathered feedback.
Ensuring it’s understandable for the whole IT team ➡️ Organized review sessions.
BACK TO OBSERVATION
Listening to users to identify the factors causing delays in transferring freelancer information to the new platform.
Tadah! The beta version of the platform was launched, and I was excited to see recruiters and localization managers thrive on the new platform! However, I noticed they delayed transffering all the info of freelancers into the new platform. Curious, I conducted 1:1 user screening tests by sharing their screens to find out why. This revealed insights I hadn’t noticed before.
For example, they found it inconvenient to view only 10 freelancers per page while comparing information to find suitable candidates for projects.
Solution: I prioritized this change but faced a challenge with the timeline, as engineering resources were fully allocated. I presented my findings to the engineering leader and proposed practical solutions with a list of revisions. After discussions, we agreed to increase the number of freelancers displayed to 25 per page and replaced pagination with a scroll feature, enabling users to scroll both vertically and horizontally, with names fixed for easier identification.
LEARNINGS
SImportant of user observation and balancing user needs and team resource capacity
Importance of user observation: Through this project, I learned the critical importance of actively listening to users and observing their workflows closely to identify pain points that weren’t initially discovered, especially when building a platform from scratch. Seeing Localization Managers struggle with the limited visibility of freelancers on a single page highlighted unspoken needs, which led me to propose a solution that directly addressed their frustration.
Balancing User Needs and Engineering Capacity: I also realized that prioritization is key when working with limited resources—engineering capacity and timelines. Staying close to the engineering team and presenting qualitative insights helped us prioritize essential changes.
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